Day and Night
by annaoi
Summary: A collection of stories about Bruce and Diana, during the beginning and the end of the day. (Edit: I changed the title)
1. 8:57 AM - Post-Its

The brightness of the sun woke him up in his own bedroom, but his eyes remained closed.

"Five more minutes" Bruce mumbled to himself.

Although the dawn was getting warmer, the bed remained comfortably cooler which felt nourishing. He felt good in the silk covers and he even felt better when he found her scent - her distinct aroma. His lips made an involuntary smile as he tried to sniff his pillow gently. The pleasant fragrance was an evidence of her presence that he truly liked. Then, he stretched out his arm to the other side of the bed to touch her. But instead, he felt the bed's covers once more. Finally, he opened his eyes and saw that there was no one on that side. Nobody in the bed but him.

His brain quickly served him the information he needed. Diana was assigned for a space mission that could take days, weeks or months to finish. And her absence in this morning was an obvious haste for her departure. She was always this eager to help and so quick to respond. It was part of her job, _their_ job. Alone in his huge bed, he admitted to himself that he missed her already.

Shaking all the leftover sleepiness, he stood up and stretched his legs and flexed some of his joints. Then he called for Alfred, his butler, to ask for his schedule for today. However, nobody came. And then his brain reminded him of something again. His trusted butler wasn't in the manor or in Gotham or in the USA. Yesterday, He left for England to visit his relatives. He'll be back in a week or so.

And now, Bruce felt truly alone. But he was used to feeling it.

After a final stretch of his arms, he went on to do his daily routine in the bathroom. And just like every morning, he inspected his image in the bathroom mirror. The usual messy black hair and tired dark-blue eyes greeted him. But then there was something new. On the center of his bare abdomen was piece of yellow paper. A post-it note with a short written message. He found it strange that he hadn't noticed it earlier.

He peeled it off from his skin and read the message. Immediately, he recognized the handwriting.

_Good Morning, Bruce! _

– _D_

He smirked and, for the first time this morning, felt a tiny bit of happiness crawling in.

He set the note aside on a safe spot, took a shower, dried himself, brushed his teeth, and combed his hair. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he headed out to the closet where the t-shirts and pants are kept. He opened the wardrobe and found what he expected, a row of shirts on the top and a neat collection of dark pants on the bottom. Then, he found something new, a piece of yellow paper on one of the gray shirts' sleeve. Another one of Diana's post-its.

_Try this one. You look better in it._

– _D _

He took the gray shirt out and tried it. Seconds after, he found himself in front of the mirror next to the wardrobe. The shirt was a nice fit. Mentally, he congratulated Diana for giving him a good advice. Then he completed his outfit with one of his dark, comfortable pants.

After that, he walked outside, traveled down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. When he reached the fridge, he saw another post-it.

_I left a chicken sandwich for you. _

– _D _

Bruce slightly raised an eyebrow. He tried to remember the time that he told her that he liked chicken sandwiches. He realized that he hadn't told her. Then he concluded that she might've asked Alfred about it before he left.

When he opened fridge, he immediately found the sandwich, enticingly wrapped in platic. Next, he took it out of the plastic, placed it on a small plate, heated it up in the microwave and then enjoyed the first bite. He moaned in satisfaction to his taste. He loved every bit of flavor and he loved the nice crunchy texture. Lastly, he drank cold water to drain all of it.

To add to his good feeling, he burped… rather loudly than expected.

After that, he made his way to the old grandfather clock to start his first business of the day. With his finger, he moved the hands of the clock to 10:47 and within seconds, the clock slid aside. As always, a secret door was revealed. He made his way to the stair case, and into the main room where his giant computer waited for him. As expected, a computerized voiced indicated his presence.

"ID scan complete. Welcome to the cave, Bruce"

Then he sat on the computer chair.

"Computer. On" he ordered.

Immediately, the big screen lit up. His case files were already open. He stretched out his hands to reach the mouse. Instead of finding the smooth surface of hard plastic, he felt paper. Another yellow paper. Another message. He peeled it off and read.

_Don't slouch and keep your back straight_

– _D_

Reading it, Bruce unconsciously straightened out his back. He chuckled at that.

He set the note safely aside and pulled the slab under the surface of the desk that held keyboard. There another post-it note revealed itself.

_I miss you. _

– _D_

Then he took the note closer to his nose and received her scent, her aroma. In his imagination, Bruce felt her presence once more, her voice, her smile. He closed his eyes and relished it.

"I miss you too" he said quietly.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note:<em>

_I'll try to write more chapters in between my school and work. Reviews are always welcome :)_

_I'm still editing this for grammatical errors and typos. _


	2. 9:30 PM - Winter Night in Moscow

_Author's Note:_

_Imagine this song playing in the background: Look for "__Louis Amstrong 'La Vie En Rose' by KOREAN POPS ORCHESTRA" in youtube._

_I aimed for more fluff but I ended up adding some action. Will edit for errors and typos._

* * *

><p>Diana found herself liking the band's instrumental piece more than anything in tonight playlist. The trumpet sounded nice, as well as the violin. She knew that it was what the people in Man's World called a 'classic' or at least an 'oldie'. She was wishing she caught the title once more so she could download it from iTunes later; especially that it's difficult to search songs that was first heard without the lyrics. Nonetheless, the princess settled to just enjoy it for now. In all honestly, she considered the song to be very therapeutic.<p>

Suddenly, a noise from the comm link snapped her back to tonight's important matters.

"_Everything good there, Di?_" asked Black Canary's voice in her hidden communicator.

"So far so good" she replied discreetly, as she fixed a crumple in her sparkly, velvet gown. Nobody was looking at her which made her feel safe to fall out of character for a while.

Undercover missions are always very tedious, especially when it involves bait. In this particular mission, a crime syndicate has hired multiple assassins to exterminate Sofia Alexeeva, a Russian socialite-party girl who happened to witness some evidences of drug trades in Moscow. She was supposed to attend tonight's charity ball but seeing that it could be very dangerous for her, someone from the Justice League had to fill in. Diana was unanimously the top pick for it because a) she can protect herself well and b) she has the closest look for Sofia.

And now here she was, with a red-haired wig and thick makeup, sitting in one of the unoccupied chairs. Occasionally, she'd talk to some guests in an overly friendly manner in order to appear a bit drunk. And she had to do it all with a Russian accent. Unfortunately, the whole act felt like a chore that made Diana's energy ebb away quickly. Good thing people didn't seem to notice that she had retired in one place. However, her eyes still kept watch.

"_See anything yet?_" said Green Arrow in the comm link.

"Nope. Just a bunch of over privileged people dancing and gossiping" she calmly replied.

"_Are you sure?_"

"Yep"

She was beginning to notice her teammates' impatience. Since it was snowing heavily outside, their position isn't exactly enviable. And it's bad enough that they're on rooftop of the building across the street, experiencing the coldest winds despite their winter clothes.

"You guys alright out there?" she asked quietly as she faced the window. She tried to get a glimpse of their base across the street but the snowing was too thick to even see the details.

"_We're fine. Just kind of boring out here. It's been almost two hours and still no sign of anybody_" Dinah commented.

"_Maybe Batman had a false tip_" Ollie added.

Diana didn't answer to that. Just the mention of Batman gave a reminder of what happened a few days ago. She had raised her voice against him while he said a bunch of remarks in his own arrogant way, but she knew the words only hurt them mutually. It was just a recent fight between them. A silly, trivial thing that blew up into something they couldn't contain.

Seeing from Lois and Clark, Dinah and Ollie or John and Shayera, Diana knew that fights are normal in couples. It could be bad or it could be just nothing, but the kiss-and-make-up part is inevitable. Still, her mind worried that maybe it was enough to end it for real. And that thought alone made her very uptight lately. She wanted to talk to him, to fix things, but apparently, he was avoiding her – constantly being in missions and whatnot. The man has issues facing it and that angered her more.

"_You alright there?_" Dinah asked.

Diana was a bit annoyed with the questions. Why ask it twice?

"Didn't you ask that already?" she replied, again with her quiet voice.

"_No. I mean you_"

Diana stopped her thoughts and raised the curiosity.

"What do you mean exactly?"

"_I could see your scowl from here_". It must be her turn on the telescope, Diana thought.

And with a whisper, she retorted: "I am _NOT_ scowling"

But it was Ollie's turn to tease. "_Yes, you are. You can't hide that big face of yours. Anything to share? I'm betting we have enough time_"

The princess wanted to groan but she'd risk her cover. It's not always advisable to visibly express something while you're playing a different character. For any consolation, she imagined that Dinah would scold the archer for pushing it.

"Save your interrogation skills for the bad guys, please?" she demanded in a sarcastic tone.

That snarky order did its thing because both stayed quiet for a long time. Diana sighed and noticed that the band was playing the song again. It must be a crowd favorite. She forced a smile and stood up. Maybe someone would offer a dance.

And it didn't take long.

"Care for a dance?" said a British voice.

She turned to it and saw a tall blonde man in a simple but sophisticated tux. His eyes were vibrantly green but his nose was a bit too large for proportion. However, he is the best-looking man she's seen so far in the ball. Immediately, Diana made her best Sofia impression. She looked at him with too much interest and showed off a slightly tipsy posture.

"I would love to" she said in a thick Russian accent.

She placed her palm to his open hand and let him tow her gently to the dance floor. They danced inconspicuously and so far, she felt very comfortable.

"It's a surprise to see you here, Ms. Alexeeva" the man commented as he placed his hands safely on her waist.

"Why is that?"

"The tabloids didn't brand you for a person who goes to charity balls"

The reply was a bit arrogant in tone but she let it pass her. Meanwhile, they continued to sway to the music.

"You shouldn't always trust the tabloid's stories, Mr…"

"Burrows. Hayden Burrows" he said in a suave tone.

"Mr. Burrows" she began again, "As I have said, the tabloids can't be trusted"

"Well, you've proven that so far"

She scoffed as she laid her hands on his broad shoulders. Hayden Burrows felt strangely strong and gentle at the same time. She examined his face. There was something off about it.

"You seem like the business type. Are you here for business, Mr Burrows?" she asked.

"Please call me Hayden," he assured, "And no, I'm here for personal reasons"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Well, I'm here for someone… someone special"

"Is she one of the ladies at the buffet table?" she playfully suggested as she pointed the buffet table with a movement of her face. The buffet table where always crowded with the gossipy girls.

"No. Unfortunately, she might not even be here"

"Maybe you'll get to meet her next time"

She can feel that his movements were becoming smaller and smaller.

"I'm afraid I may have broken her heart for good" he finally said.

After that, he stretched her arms as she began to twirl. While she spun, she felt something vaguely familiar. Then her feet stopped moving and glanced at her dance partner once more. She furrowed her eyebrows and began to see something.

"_Diana? What's going on?_" Dinah asked, alarmed by Diana's sudden silence or maybe with her stillness.

She approach Hayden Burrows and saw the real man behind the façade.

"And now I'm wondering if she'll ever forgive me" he said. And he said it with an American accent.

Diana dropped her character and looked at him in the eyes.

"Bruce?"

Yes, it was him in disguise. She was sure of it. Even though the eyes and the hair looked real, his nose has some imperfect edges – a realistic rubber nose. The characteristics that truly gave him away were his defined jaw and his touch. Nobody held her so gently and so preciously like him.

What are you doing here?" she asked, but she wasn't mad yet.

The familiar seriousness in his eyes emerged. He moved closer to her ear and continued the dance. The true baritone of his voice revealed in a raspy whisper.

"Green Arrow asked for a back-up. Not me specifically, but I was the only one available."

"Why in disguise?"

"Wayne would draw too much attention"

Then she remembered her anger, the words that he said in that argument. She let go of his hand, pushed him away and began to walk away. Despite the music, she could hear his footsteps.

"Wait" he called.

She turned around to face him, intending to raise her voice once more like before. But then she saw something odd behind him. Two of the musicians in the band weren't holding violins anymore.

They were holding black machine guns. They were aiming at her and Bruce was in the way.

"Look out!" she shouted before the first few bullets propelled. She jumped to the side where the tables are and so did Bruce. The music stopped. Bullets pierced the floor. The people started screaming. It was chaos in high heels and spilt champagne. The guests ran for the exits as the two stayed behind.

Diana hid behind a tables and Bruce kneeled next to her already without the wig and the fake nose. Instead of his cowl, he wore a black mask that was shaped like his usual bat insignia - similar to Nightwing's but it's more Batman's than him.

"Canary, Arrow, the shooters are here!" she shouted at her comm. link

In the midst of the noise from the dispersing crowd, she could hear that there's a struggle in their location as well. She could hear punches, kicks and gunshots - all from the tiny earpiece.

"_We know!_" Dinah Grunted, "_We have our hands full at the moment_"

"_Duck!_" Ollie shouted as the noise intensified.

Then, it all went into a haze.

It sounds like they'll have to face these shooters alone. Normally, it's not a big problem but unfortunately, the princess was lacking the bracelets and the lasso in the moment. She had left them in her bag a few tables away.

As if reading her mind he said: "Go. I'll distract them"

While he readied a couple of batarangs, she nodded.

Bruce jumped into the shooter's sights and quickly released his batarangs with mighty speed. Meanwhile Diana flew into the panicking crowd, to the opposite direction, trying to reach the bag in time. The man with the gun evaded to the right, then batarangs hit the wooden décor on the stage where he would've been standing.

More shooters emerged from behind the stage. They're now fifteen killers. Dressed in black from head to toe and armed with the same guns. A few of them began shooting at Bruce. Luckily, he was quick enough to get away and hide behind another table. But then, they approached his direction and started shooting again. And with his quick, acrobatic movements he manage to evade.

Meanwhile, Diana reached her bag, grabbed her bracelets and wore them as fast she can. Most of the shooters concentrated on her direction and started pounding her with the bullets. But with her amazing speed and her special bracelets, she bounced off the ones that were within her proximity. Somehow in their craze, they hadn't realized that she wasn't the real Sofia. So Diana grabbed the lasso and flew high up in the air to show who she really was.

Immediately, their reactions were satisfying. They stopped shooting and marveled at the floating woman. They don't know what to make of it.

Diana took off her wig and revealed her raven hair.

"Like what you see?" she asked playfully.

Confused, they looked at each other like they were supposed to answer that. Soon after, one of them shouted.

"Don't you just stand there! She's Wonder Woman! Kill her!"

And then they did. But again her speed and shiny accessories on her wrists did their thing.

"I'll take that as a 'no'" she commented, "Very well then, time to end this madness"

She swooped down and took out one with just a punch. Some still tried to stop her but eventually received the blows that rendered them unconscious. The rest made a run for it. Unfortunately for them she was already overtaking them and knocking them out.

Soon, all of them where down on the ground. Unmoving and defeated.

The ones that went after Bruce were also in that state.

To signal a finish, he dusted off his hands.

"Well, that was quick" he commented.

* * *

><p>On the snowy rooftop, Green Arrow and Black Canary have started packing up their surveillance equipment. While Dinah carried the telescope, Ollie collected some of his used arrows.<p>

"Recycling, are we?" Dinah asked as the archer passed her by with a bunch of arrows on both of his gloved hands

"These are expensive. Saving them would be the nicest thing to do"

"Says the billionaire" she replied with her eyes rolling.

"Ask Bruce. I'm sure he's done the same thing with his batarangs" the mustached man retorted.

Bruce just stood there in silence, as if he wore the whole bat costume. But with a black winter jacket for the cold, his outfit still consisted of the tux and the mask. A few feet on his right, Diana, who also wore winter clothes, leaned on the rooftops stone railings. Similarly, she still wore Sofia's make up and the velvet dress underneath.

When it was getting embarrassing to wait for the dark knight's comment, Ollie moved on and followed Dinah on the way down.

Later they went up again and got the rest of the stuff. When it was clear that they were carrying the last of the equipment, both just stood there.

"Are you coming with us?" Dinah asked.

Diana looked at her for the first time.

"No. We'll stay here and watch out for more trouble"

Dinah nodded and urged Ollie to leave the two alone. As soon the door was shut, silence filled the place. The snow fell but not heavily. And like frozen statues, they just stayed there for a while.

"Are we just gonna stay here and let the cold kill us slowly?" she asked.

However there was no response. He didn't even look at her. But after a while, he started speaking.

"The things that I've said… I regret saying them" he awkwardly stated.

She knew he was having trouble saying it. After all, he wasn't the best in apologizing.

"I didn't want to hurt you" he added.

Then she faced him and found that his eyes were focused on her

"We never really wanted to hurt each other, Bruce.

She paused and then she said: "I've said some things too but I never really meant them… It was just a silly thing"

His face softened for a bit and moved closer.

"I'm sorry" he said.

"Me too" she replied a bit softly.

They closed the gap and embraced like they haven't seen each other in years. Once again, she felt his warmth… his delicate touch. She wanted it more than anyone else. For a while they stayed that way, holding each other while the snow slowly covered them.

Then out of nowhere, she heard his voice. And she was a bit surprised by it because he was singing. No. He was humming. His body swayed to his music and led her to dance slowly as he held her waist. Willingly, the princess held his hand. She recognized the song. It was the instrumental that she liked in the ball.

"What's name of the song?" she giggled.

"_La Vien Rose, _originally by Edith Piaf" he answered.

He continued to hum and they continued to dance to it. His voice soothed her heart. It was beautiful as she expected it to be.

Later on, the warm hugs became wonderful kisses under the winter night.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note part 2: <em>

_More chapters are coming! Just sit tight, I'm trying to wiggle more room into my busy schedule. _

_Trivia: I was supposed to make Bruce sing the song with lyrics but FF doesn't allow that... so humming is the best I could offer. _


	3. 6:12 AM - A Can of Cream

Alfred admitted to himself that he was surprised when he saw the contents of the refrigerator. Master Bruce's usual hors d'œuvres were completely out staged by an abundance of color from the unexpected food products. Some of them are reasonably healthy and most were certainly far from being considered as nourishing. The small pack of gummy bears was the first that caught his attention. Then his eyes travelled from shelf to shelf, finding potato chips, sodas, a can of Reddi-whip cream, some unfinished Subway sandwiches, Skittles, a few of the Kinder Joys and an assortment of marshmallows.

Despite the sight, the butler didn't mind it. He found it very interesting and familiar at the same time. _When was it when Master Dick moved to Bludhaven? Four… Five years ago?_ No matter how many years it has been, it felt like it was a century has passed. Dick Grayson used to buy the same things and store them in them in the same way. Even the collection used to be as vibrant as this. It only stopped reappearing from the bright shelves when the boy, who grew up too quickly, left the manor and became a hero of his own. Soon, the bland sandwiches and the salads dominated again.

Today, Alfred hadn't considered the master's usual menu to be depressing until he saw the colors again.

This time it wasn't youth that brought the change into the fridge. It was a woman. A warrior princess to be exact.

"Good Morning, Alfred" said a woman's voice.

Diana, the princess of Themyscira, was leaning on the kitchen counter. And judging by her outfit's red, blue and gold, she has just returned from work.

"Good Morning, Ms. Diana. I hope your shift went well" he said as he shut the fridge's door.

"It was peaceful. Nothing really interesting" she replied. Her face expressed the boredom too.

"Would you care for some potatoes and eggs?" he offered as he gestured his hand on the breakfast table. It was a simple table for two, with a delicate presentation of the sunny-side-up eggs and fried potatoes with spices. There was also a pair of porcelian cups that were ready for the finest hot tea.

"Thanks" she said with a polite and cheery voice, "but I already ate at the Watchtower. Sorry, I should've called earlier"

By the crease of her brows and the shyness of her smile, the princess was truly bothered by her not eating what Alfred had tirelessly prepared.

"It's quite alright, Madame. I'll have this wrapped in plastic" the British gentleman said.

She nodded.

Then the princess changed posture and made an inquisitive face.

"Has he come back yet?"

Alfred smiled.

"Yes, he's resting in the study"

And with that, she was out of sight immediately. Alfred followed and brought the cups of tea with a silver tray, just in case.

As usual, the walls of the study were almost completely covered in tall shelves of books. Most of them were neat and untouched. But a few have started the princess' interest, much to Alfred's delight.

They found Bruce in the middle of the room. On the leather sofa, his body was slumped, his eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly opened. His face faced to the right where they could see it fully and his arm dropped to the side with an open hand touching the carpet. He already wore his usual black shirt and denim pants, but it seems he should've dress for the bed.

The butler could see that Diana's eyes were watching his master's steady breathing. It was something that he had seen several times before. A habit between the Dark Knight and the Amazon princess: one checking the other if they're still alive and well, no matter how harmless things are.

Bruce continued to lay still in sleep, as Alfred quietly placed the tray on one of the small decorative tables.

"Must be a rough night" Diana commented.

"Indeed. The Riddler almost got away with it" Alfred informed.

Diana approached the sleeping man, knelt down beside him, and gave a quick peck on his forehead that was light enough to keep him in slumber. Then she stood up, approached one of the shelves and grabbed a book. Lazily, she sat on the nearby recliner and flipped to the page that was already bookmarked by a fold.

The butler watched them for a while. Then he remembered something that took place a long time ago.

"Master Dick would've done something different" he said suddenly.

Still in the recliner, Diana turned her head to Alfred.

"Pardon?" she uttered as she turned to him.

"Years ago when Master Dick was just a young lad, he played a practical joke while Master Bruce slept"

She smiled at that.

"Did he really?"

After she made that curious face again, Alfred nodded.

"As a matter of fact, the boy's antics used to be a commodity"

Diana giggled and the closed her book.

"How did Bruce 'handle' it?"

"Oh the usual. Annoyance then ignorance-"

He stopped his words because an idea came to him.

"But usually, it's entertaining… especially when you see it for yourself" he suggested with poise.

And with that, her eyes showed brightness and her lips made the most devious smirk. She looked at Bruce with determination. Right then, the butler knew that he had unleashed something sinister.

After a moment, Diana seemed to plan something in her mind. When she was done, she stood up.

"Is the Reddi-whip still in fridge?" she asked.

"Yes, Madame"

_Ah, the old Shaving Cream prank_. In this case, it's technically the can of whipped cream prank. Alfred wondered where she had learned that.

Without time to spare, she left the room with excitement. A minute later, she came back with a can of cream in hand.

She grinned like a child and snuck up to Bruce by flight. Inch by inch, the princess hovered forward while lowering the can towards the exposed hand. Without landing on a carpet fiber, she pressed the can's nozzle and out came a generous amount of white fluffy cream. It landed perfectly on Bruce's hand. She did it while she kept watch on him. So far, the man was still oblivious.

Perfect.

To get away from the upcoming hit, she flew to the other side of the couch and landed gently on the floor. While her left hand hid the can of cream on her back, her right hand reached out, approaching its target.

Then her index finger scratched his nose.

Immediately, her hand sprung back. Her eyes watched in anticipation.

Bruce's eyebrows twitched but his cream covered hand was still motionless. Alfred could see the disappointment on her face. But knowing that Amazons' tremendous determination, he knew she won't just give up.

Again, she reached out for the nose and touched it. This time Bruce moaned with a tone that meant 'go away', but his hand moved slightly.

_Getting closer. _

She reached out for the third time, moving a bit closer than usual.

But before she could scratch his nose, Bruce lazily opened his eyes. Instantly, there was confusion on his face because he saw his smiling butler on the far end of the room, a surprised Diana on his left and a large amount of cream on his hand.

And by that, the mission was a bust. Diana should retreat and come clean or... she should do what Amazons do best: _adapt_.

Before he could say a single word, she faced the can's nozzle to him and sprayed the cream directly to his face. Excessively. It wasn't the intended execution but it achieved the goal.

And within seconds, Bruce's face became white and fluffy. The sight of it made the princess laugh with gusto. Alfred could see that she wasn't only laughing at him, but also at herself for messing up the prank and at the whole shenanigan.

Bruce's face was unreadable because of the cream but he sat up and remained silent. He scooped away the cream that covered his upper face. Soon after, his dark-blue eyes were revealed. They were deadpan. He looked at the princess with half of his famous glare. But the princess' laughs only intensified.

"Well don't..." she started as she tried to catch her breath, "don't look at me. It was his idea". She pointed at the gentleman on the end of the room. Her grin was so infectious that all Alfred could do was to follow her lead by smiling at the creamy-fied man. His master looked at him with the usual annoyance. The expression was something that the butler had to get used to when scolding him from time to time.

"Really?" Bruce uttered with a deadpan tone that complemented his stare, as opening his mouth made a funny hole on the cream that covered the low part of the face. Meanwhile, Diana forced the laughs into a low but continued to snicker.

"I'll take blame, but I have no regrets" Alfred replied as he made a friendly smile.

After getting it out of her system, the princess made a not-so-sincere apology and flew to the creamy-fied man. With her bare hands, she wiped the remainder of the cream from his face as Bruce willingly stood still. At the same time, his dark-blue eyes watched her with much focus. It was easy to see that the he loved every minute of it.

While all of that transpired, Alfred watched. In his mind, he was delighted to the fact that the 'colors' she brought didn't stay within the confines of the refrigerator.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note:<em>

_This had too many revisions. Not sure if the changes were for the better... hmm. Anywho.. reviews are always welcome. _

_I'll try to write the next chapter when the next free time comes. Just pray that inspiration comes to me quickly. _

_As always, I'll edit this for errors and typos, if I find any._


	4. 8:33 PM - Body Language

_Author's Note:_

_Good thing I was able to write this in one go, but I'm worried that I might've written Cassandra Cain differently. I know she received her speech in the comics (with the telepathic rewiring) but I wanted to write her before that happened. I haven't read her comics and I was only introduced to her in the Batman: No Man's Land novel by Greg Rucka. So I'm not sure if she started fighting crime as Batgirl already before the speech fix and right after No Man's land. Forgive me if she's OOC_

_Nevertheless, I just love Cass and I've always wanted to write her in one of my WonderBat fics._

* * *

><p>Cassandra was starting to feel the fatigue as she landed on cracked asphalt somewhere in the middle of South Hinkley, also known as Lower Gotham. She was, of course, still wearing her Batgirl costume and she wasn't ready to call it a night without confirming it with the Batman himself.<p>

She looked around and saw that the scene was the same as in most places. A few burning and demolished buildings. Debris everywhere. Police pointing civilians to the Gotham City Stadium for temporary refuge. It was starting to look like No Man's Land again, but it wasn't caused by an earthquake. This time it was a worldwide attack by Darksied.

That's right. A surprise attack from one of the baddest of the lot.

Cassandra knew who and what Darkseid is all about even before she became Batgirl but it was her first time being in an actual battle to stop him. To stop him indirectly, that is.

Like the rest of the Bat family, she had to stay here and fight off Darkseid's minions while Batman joined the Justice League to get to the boss. It was a long and hard fight. Many got hurt and, sadly, a considerable number of civilians were killed. But eventually, the good guys won and saved more than anyone could have hoped for.

After the great battle, Cassandra had heard from Oracle that Batman had returned, so she had decided to go where Oracle's computer tracked him. And now here she was, in the middle of ruin. According to the cordinates, she's just about twenty-five meters away from Batman.

She looked up to the buildings that were still standing and searched for a spot where the Batwing or a Javelin could've landed. And she found one that might be inconspicuous enough for the brooding Bat. She pointed the grappling gun to the ledge of the top floor and fired. When she was sure that the hook is secured, she pressed a button to reel herself upward. Her light body was effortlessly lifted, and soon, reached the ledge. She made a quick climb and arrived on roof

And there, as she have guessed, was the Batwing. a few feet from the nose of the black jet was a sillouhette revealed by the distant lights of the city. A costumed man who seemed to have been talking to someone on the other end of his comm link.

"This is Batman. I'm requesting status report from all team leaders" he said as two of his fingers pressed on his ear.

As she always did, Cassandra studied him while she moved closer. His voice was gruff as usual and his stature didn't waver. Batman seemed to be his normal self. His stillness proved it.

Next, he said "Any visual on team leader three?... Are you sure?"

But tonight, he's a bit different. One of the corners of his lips stretched down slighly. His fingers tensely pushed for the small communicator. His other hand clenched tighter than usual.

All of these small, bodily occurrences would have been impossible to detect for a normal person. Especially with if the person who had them was Batman.

Well... Cassandra isn't a normal person in that aspect.

Deprivation of the spoken language from her early years rendered her extremely unskilled in speech, and she's still a beginner despite Oracle's and Alfred's weekly tutoring. However, the rigorous physical training that substituted that inferiority in the past made her one of the best in reading the smallest of human actions. Now, she still reads people as easily as hearing people speak their minds. And it's helping her predict what the bad guys would do next. It was an added edge as a successor for Batgirl.

As for observing the Batman, it just became a natural hobby. One that she kept from everyone to respect the privacy of the subject.

Tonight's reading was indeed different, but it's definitely not rare.

One time was when he returned to the Batcave after a fight with a villain in Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Another example was when she saw him reading a certain case report. The very last time was when he was staring at a photo on his phone.

It didn't take a while before Cassandra figured out the reason behind those tiny twitches because, as always, the clues were right in front of her.

When Batman fought Mogul in the Fortress of Solitude, Superman and Wonder Woman were with him.

The case file he had been reading was dated a few years ago. It involved the godess Circe and Wonder Woman.

Even though he tried to hide the photo in time, Cassandra was able to see just enough of a woman with blue eyes and black hair.

_Wonder Woman_

_The Amazon Princess_

_Diana._

He never acted the same way with any other woman.

Cassandra heard stories from Robin. Stories that involved Bruce and Diana. Their on again, off again relationship. They're an item... WERE an item. Sometime ago before she got to Gotham they have ended it. But somehow Diana continued to linger in his mind.

_The corner of his mouth. _

_The tense muscles._

_The clenched fist. _

It showed nervousness, anxiety and anger. But the way Cassandra saw it, his body screamed silently for the princess. Worried for her. Longed for her. And now, for the first time, his voice justified it.

"I don't care if you're tired. Find her!" he barked. Cassandra felt sorry to whoever was on the other end.

Batman's cape flapped in the breeze. His head hung low soon after. He pushed a couple of buttons on his gauntlet and spoke again.

"Team leader three, do you copy? I've sent you my coordinates in case you need to find a way home. We haven't heard from you. I…"

It was a long and hard fight. Certainly there were casualties, or at least missing people. This doesn't exclude the heroes.

"Princess... I… I need to hear your voice"

So what does Batman do when someone he loves failed to break radio silence and to be found anywhere? He probably begged his imagination not to run wild. Not the images. Not the unreal sound of her suffering. Cassandra knew very well how awful it feels.

Knowing that she was watching the whole time, Batman turned to Batgirl with urgency apparent from his one, swift movement.

"Is everything under control?" he asked.

Cassandra nodded and replied "Everything... OK... Need... Help?"

She knows he would try to find her, and she's more eager to help him in any other way.

Batman was silent for a while. But he said "No... Thank You… Head back to the cave. Get some rest"

Without waiting for her reaction, he started to climb on the Batwing. Behind the mask, Cassandra frowned. She knows he'll never give up no matter what. It was her turn to worry.

Then.

Out of nowhere.

A light flashed on the very same roof top.

Cassandra recognized it. It was what Darksied and his minions used to teleport themselves to Earth.

It was a boom tube.

Both Batman and Batgirl prepared a few batarangs to throw. A minion will have no chance against the two.

The brilliant light grew to a limited size and lingered like it was waiting for someone to have a grand entrance. A silhouette made an appearance, and slowly revealing herself. The gold and silver were scratched from battle. The blue and red, stained of dirt and blood.

"Diana!" Batman shouted, while the light from the boom tube faded.

As the Wonder Woman landed on the dusty cement, Batman dropped the batarangs, jumped down from the jet and ran to her. The princess looked tired but she was still trying to stand straight like nothing happened. Cassandra had no idea where she had come from but by the looks of it, she had just came from a warzone far worse than the battles here in Gotham.

Despite the cut on her lip Wonder Woman smiled at him.

"Sorry for the worry. I lost my communicator and I had to fight for the mother box. By the way, thanks for the coordinates, the box's memory was erased and I didn't remember -"

"Are you hurt?" he interrupted.

"No… I'm fine" she assured, "I'm healing already as we speak"

Her words were very true because the cut on her lip was getting smaller and smaller. The dark night's gloved hands held her shoulders. He sighed, confirming his relief.

And then, without a word, his arms wrapped around her.

Wonder Woman wore a slight surprise on her face but she just smiled again and let him stay like that.

On the other hand, Cassandra was shocked. The hug was unexpected but it made her see the things that Batman wanted to say.

_The tight embrace._

_The smile on his face_.

One doesn't need to be an expert to see the love.


End file.
